Timer for automobile engines



July 27 1926.

E. SINNER TIMER FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES Original Filed Jan. 20, 1922 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS Patented July 27, 1926.

UNITED srnrs.

issa'lze earner OFFICE.

EMI L SINNER, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

TIMER FOR AUTOMOBILE ENGINES.

. Application filed January 20, 1922, Serial No. 530,560. Renewed March 29, 1926.

This invention relates to circuit makers and breakers for automobile ignition systems, more particularly to timers for Ford engines and has for its object to provide a device of this characterwhich Will be simple in construction, coin} n-irati'\'ely inexpensive to manufacture and more efficient in use than those WlllCll have been heretofore proposed.

The timer mechanisms which are at present in general use, employcontacts which,

are rigid or substantially rigid with the timer'oasing which co-act with a movable contact carried by a rotating shaft passing through the said casing. These said contact devices frequently become fouled and dirty from the accumulation of dirt and dust to which they are necessarily subjected in their positions upon an automobile engine with the result that after a comparatively short period of time no contact is had between the metal surfaces and the electric current fails to reach the spark plugs of the engine thereby causing the for to miss fire. Furthermore, with let's employing stationary contacts the contact members themselves frequently Wear unevenly, so that the rotatable member fails to make contact with one or more of them again resulting in the mics-firing of the en- 'lne.

"It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a timer mechanism having contact members of a yieldable or resilient nature which will accommodate themselves to the varying conditionsof Wear and which will further automatically move in order to present constantly chang ing clean contact surfaces to the companion contact member.

\Vit-h these and other objects in View, the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts, more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which likereference characters refer to like parts in all the views Fig. l is a front elevational view, partly in section, of one form of timing device made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1 looking in the direc- Fig. 1 of a slightly modified form of the 1 device.

Referring more especially to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 indicates a casing of any suitable and usual construction and which may be adapted to fit upon the Ford machine. Said casing is provided Withfour radially disposed contact holding members or studs 2 arranged at substantially 90 apart around its circumference thereof, as Will be clear from Fig. 1. The said members 2 are suitably insulated from the said casing by means of the fibre or other insulating Washers 3 and are provided upon their inner ends with the U-shaped contact holding members t provided at their ends with the angularly disposed hook portions 5, see Fig. 1, which are adapted to engage eyes 6 of a spiral spring 7. The coils of the said spring '7 are Wound in a given direction and surrounding the said spring is a second spiral spring 8 of a larger diameter and the coils of Whichare wound in the opposite direction, as will be clear from said 1. It results from this construction that the outer spring 8 Will rest upon the inner spring 7 Without binding and not being provided with eyes on its ends, it Will be free to to tate upon the said spring 7 as a hearing.

A; shaft" 9 projects into the casing 1, along its axis, and is suitably driven from the automobile engine in the usual manner, and carries a roller contact member 10 adapted to make successive contact With each of the stationary yieldable' contact members 8, as will be readily apparent. The casing 1 may be PIOVlClGClWlt-ll the usual projecting arm 11 adapted to be con nected With the spark lever upon the 'steering column whereby the time of the occurrence of the spark Within the engine cylinders may be advanced or retarded at will, in the usual manner. Suitable Wires 12 lead from the contact stud member to the spark plugs of the engine not shown.

The form of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 is somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but the stationary contacts 13 are here shown as comprising rollers 14. While the revoluble contact member carried by the shaft 9, is illustrated as comprising the pair of coil spring members 15 and 16 mounted upon the projecting arms 17, carried by the said shaft 9 in a manner similar to that disclosed in connection with the stationary contact members in Figs. 1 and 2.

The operation of the improved timer will be clear trom the foregoing, but it may be briefly sumn'iarized as follows: l i hen the shaft 9 is rotated by means or power supplied from the motor, it carries with it the contact roller 10 which successively engages the coil spring contact members 8 mounted w t in the cas- 1. The roller, it passes hose said springs, engages successivel the highest points of the individual coils of the said springs thereby making a multiplicity of quick electrical contacts which provides an almost continuous sparking at the spark plug terminals within the engine cylinders and makes a more erlicient means it igniting the charge of compressed therein.

As above pointed out the springs 8, due to the fact that they are wound in opposite direction to the springs 7 and are oi? a slightly larger diameter, are free to revolve axially upon the said springs 7 and they therefore constitute a self-cleaning contact member, which under the influence ot the rotatable contact member 10 are constantly moving about their said axes and thus present fresh and clean contact surfaces to the said contact member 10 at all times.

Further, due to the resiliency of the said springs, they constantly tend to make better contact with. the revolving roller 10 than is the case with rigid stationary contacts and they of course automatically take care of any wear which may occur between the parts. hould this wear become excessive or should any of the spring contact members become broken, it is a very simple mat ter to merely disengage the eyes 6 of the spring 7 of the broken member from the hooked ends 5 of the supports t and to replace the disabled contact with a fresh one.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

lVhat is claimed is:

1 in a device of the class described the con nation with a casing of a resilient contact member comprising a coil spring); chordally mounted within said casing; and a roller contact member adapted to malt contact with the successive coils of said spring.

2. In a device of the class described the combination of a resilient contact member conn "ising a coil spring mounted for movement about its axis; and a roller contact member adapted to make contact with successive coils of said spring.

In a device of the class described the combination of a casing; a resilient contact member mounted within said casing, comprising a support, a. coil spring carried by said support and a second coil spring rotatably mounted upon said first spring: a companion contact member adapted to make contact with the successive coils of said seconl spring.

In a device of the class described the combination of a casing; a resilient contact member mounted within said casing, comprising a support, a coil spring detachabl' carried by said support and a second coil spr ng; rotatably mounted upon said first spring he angularity of the coils of s id second spring being different from that of the coils of said first spring; and a companion contact member adapted to make contact with the successive coils of said second spring.

5. In a device of the class described the combination oi a casing; a plurality of resilient contact members carried by said casing, each comprising a support, a coil spring detachably carried by said support, and a second spring having coils of a ditierent angularity rotatably mounted upon said first spring; and a rotatable roller contact member adapted to make contact with the successive coils of said second springs.

In testimony whereof, I aflii; my signature.

EMIL SINNitR. 

